Things to Know

I often meal prep for not only myself but also for my grandparents and mom. My grandparents are diabetics and my mom is on blood thinners. Blood thinners require a limited amount of green veggies as a result I have to get creative when prepping for her. Due to their dietary requirements most of which actually fall in line with Beachbody and THM for healthier eating I do occasionally have to alter recipes I will share notes when I do.

If a recipe is also available on Beachbody on Demand I have linked it so if you have and account you should be able to find the recipe as well as links to purchase the cookbook directly from my sales site.

Meal Prep Items

• Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal p. 23 Fixate Volume 2
• Sweet Potato Hash p. 33 Fixate Volume 2 (half recipe)
• Balsamic Glazed Chicken p. 143 Fixate Volume 2

Sunday

Meal	Items	Containers
Breakfast	Fixate Volume 2 Shakeology	1 yellow 1 red
Lunch
Dinner	Family Dinner (I don’t meal plan for this meal)
Snack

Monday

Meal	Items	Containers
Breakfast	Pineapple upside down cake p. Trim Healthy Mama Cookbook	1 purple 1 yellow
Lunch	Balsamic Chicken Salad p. 93 Fixate Volume 2	2 green 1 red 1/2 yellow 1 orange
Dinner	Lamb Kafta Kabobs p. 131 Fixate Volume 2 Mediterranean Salad p. 65 Fixate Volume 2	1 Red 1 1/2 green 1 blue 1 tsp
Snack	Triple Zero Greek Yogurt Fruit	1 red 1-2 purple

Tuesday

Meal	Items	Containers
Breakfast	Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal p. 23 Fixate Volume 2 Shakeology	1 yellow 1 red
Lunch	Kafta Pita p. 87 Fixate Volume 2	1/2 green 1/2 red 1 yellow
Dinner	Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos p. 37 Morning Meltdown 100 Nutrition Guide	1 red 1 1/2 yellow 1 blue
Snack	Triple Zero Greek Yogurt Fruit	1 red 1-2 purple

Wednesday

I’m doing half and half zucchini and yellow squash so that mom can eat this

Meal	Items	Containers
Breakfast	Sweet Potato Hash p. 33 Fixate Volume 2 Double Berry Shakeology	1/2 green 1 yellow 1 tsp 1 red 1 purple
Lunch	Smoked Tuna Salad with approve dressing	2 green 1 red 1 orange
Dinner	Sheet Pan Roasted Garlic Shrimp with Zucchini	1 Green 1 Red ½ Blue 1 tsp.
Snack	Peanut Butter Cup Popcorn p. 167 Fixate Volume 2	1 yellow 1 tsp

Thursday

Make at least one extra serving of Salmon as you will be using it in tomorrows lunch

Meal	Items	Containers
Breakfast	Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal p. 23 Fixate Volume 2 Shakeology	1 yellow 1 red
Lunch	Balsamic Chicken Salad p. 93 Fixate Volume 2	2 green 1 red 1/2 yellow 1 orange
Dinner	Herb-Crusted Salmon p. 137 Fixate Volume 2 Sweet potatoes Green beans	1 red 1 yellow 1 green
Snack	Triple Zero Greek Yogurt Fruit	1 red 1-2 purple

Friday

Meal	Items	Containers
Breakfast	Sweet Potato Hash p. 33 Fixate Volume 2 Double Berry Shakeology	1/2 green 1 yellow 1 tsp 1 red 1 purple
Lunch	Salmon Salad p. 85 Fixate Volume 2 raw carrots	1 green 1 yellow 1 red 2 tsp
Dinner	Pulled Pork – 21 Day Fix Pulled Pork with Maple BBQ Sauce from Confessions of a Fit Foodie Pickled Beets Sweet Pickles	1 red 2 green
Snack	Peanut Butter Cup Popcorn p. 167 Fixate Volume 2	1 yellow 1 tsp

Saturday

Meal	Items	Containers
Breakfast	Carrot Cake Baked Oatmeal p. 23 Fixate Volume 2 Shakeology	1 yellow 1 red
Lunch	Balsamic Chicken Salad p. 93 Fixate Volume 2	2 green 1 red 1/2 yellow 1 orange
Dinner	Pot Roast Smash potatoes Asparagus	1 red 1 green 1 yellow
Snack	Triple Zero Greek Yogurt Fruit	1 red 1-2 purple

Grocery List

• Tomato Paste (1/2 cup) for pulled pork
• Coconut aminos (1/4 cup) for pulled pork
• Mint – for Kafta Kabobs
• Dill weed – for the salmon
• Fresh Parsley – for the salmon
• Zucchini (6) – for sheet pan shrimp
• Cucumber
• Grape/cherry tomatoes
• kale – for balsamic chicken salad
• avocado – for chicken tacos
• asparagus – for balsamic chicken salad
• bell peppers
• 1 lb ground lamb or turkey kafta kabobs
• 1.25 lb salmon fillets (5 servings)
• Shrimp
• Chicken Breasts (4)
• Whole Wheat Pitas
• Corn Tortillas

Over the next several weeks I will be posted weekly meal plans including grocery lists. I realize everyone is different in respect to what they keep on hand in their pantries. As a result, I am listing out my frequently used items so that the weekly grocery lists don’t become super overwhelming.

Dairy

• Unsweetened almond milk
• Triple Zero Greek Yogurt cups
• Plain Greek yogurt
• Low fat sour cream
• Egg whites

Spices/Seasonings

• Onion Powder
• Garlic Powder
• Himalayan Salt
• Black Pepper
• Vanilla extract

Produce

• Yellow potatoes
• Sweet potatoes
• Onions
• Minced garlic

Baking Items

• Coconut flour
• Almond flour
• Old fashion oatmeal
• Brown rice
• Whole wheat flour
• Cocoa powder
• Dark chocolate chips
• Baking powder without aluminum
• Baking soda

Sweeteners

• Pure Maple Syrup
• Raw Honey
• Raw cane sugar

Breads

• Whole wheat tortilla shells
• Whole wheat or sprouted grain bread

Other

• Apple Cider Vinegar (with the mother)
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Lemon juice
• Cooking spray (coconut or olive oil preferred)
• Starkist Tuna Creations – Hickory Smoked

I love to camp we go often and I’m always trying to find a compromise between healthy and what will please everyone! Add in the fact that my grandparents are diabetics and my mom is dieting with me and it really turns up the desire to find great recipes!

Blueberry Cheesecake Muffins

I found this recipe a couple years ago when I was getting ready to travel cross country with our camper. I wanted easy filling breakfasts that I could grab from the camper and eat in the truck. I bake them and put them in little jelly jars when we travel! They make an easy snack or part of meal on the go and everyone loves them! You can also mess with the toppings recipe I have replaced the blueberries with raspberries (my family’s favorite), strawberries and black berries (this one is good but the seeds give a weird texture)!

Campfire Mac & Cheese

This recipe is a family favorite that I’m trying to make healthier! Use whole wheat or gluten free pasta (remember Dreamfield noodles cannot be reheated so they aren’t a good choice for this recipe) and a low carb alfredo! This will definitely alway be a THM crossover because you are using real noodles but it’s well worth it!

It’s not secret that I have much more successful weeks when I meal plan and prep on Sunday’s!

This week this is what I tried out.

Tilapia with Veggies

I made four servings of tilapia in the air fryer that I simply seasoned with salt and pepper and cooked at 350 for 10 mins. I then added 1 cup of Birds Eye Steamfresh Broccoli & Caulifower and 1 cup of Green Giant Veggie Spirals Carrot which I sauteed with a little bit of butter, honey, balsamic, and salt and pepper.

Resulting in meals that are 1 Red, 2 Greens

Lemon Garlic Chicken Pasta

I tried out the Lemon Garlic Chicken Pasta recipe from Simply Achored this week. I It was easy to throw together with only a little bit of prep work. I replaced the linguine with penne as I didn’t have any whole wheat linguine on hand.

I found this to be a filling meal. I think I will put more lemon juice and salt and pepper in it next time though.

Resulting in 4 meals that are 1 Yellow, 1/2 Red, 1/4 Green, 2 tsp

Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas

Lastly I made Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas from Confessions of a Fit Foodie

So am not a huge fan of peppers and didn’t have any so I omitted them and used two cans of Rotel instead. I will totally make this again since it was super easy and yummy!

This recipe makes 6 servings, and equals 1 Red and 1 Green per serving.

As I look back over my childhood, my memories revolve mostly around sports. I played baseball thru minor league, and basketball thru 8th grade before realizing that I was way better at stats than on the field or court. I completely lacked coordination. My brother and sister on the other hand, they were the athletes. Don’t get me wrong, I was still part of the teams. My parents coached and sat on every board of every sport that us kids played. We had birthdays with our teams, and even spent holidays with them. I truly felt like I had this whole extended family that wasn’t blood but were cheering me on in life anyway.

As a result of sports, I know how to work as part of a team, how to build those around me up when they need it, and how to work thru failure. These skills in my opinion make me a more valuable adult in the work force!

Because of these memories, I couldn’t wait for my kids to be old enough to start playing sports. We have had great experiences and not so great experiences.

What have I learned so far as a parent of kids in sports?

I fear that we are pricing kids out of sports.

Gone are the days of rec leagues where you can get your kid on a team for a reasonable fee and everything is provided. Where all that kid has to do is put in the hard work of learning to be a good teammate and athlete.

And it’s our generation’s fault. How many of you played sports where you were assigned a uniform at the beginning of the season that you were responsible for, and had to turn back in at the end of the season? I know that was the case all the way thru graduation for all the teams myself and my siblings participated in? Guess what, it didn’t kill us. Am I heart broken that I didn’t have my name on shirts from every team I ever participated in. Hell no! So tell me why is it that our children have to have uniforms with their names on them that they get to keep in order for them to feel like they are part of the team?

There’s no concept of winning and losing until it’s almost too late.

Kids learn things so much faster than adults. That’s why they say you should start teaching them multiple languages at an early age.

Let’s use t-ball as an example. There are no outs and everyone bats every inning no matter how many kids, and all kids have to play every inning….Now last time I checked there are 9-10 positions on a diamond so by having all the kids play all the time means they don’t learn positions. If they are lucky when they leave t-ball the can maybe hit off a pitcher and hopefully have the basics of playing catch. They certainly don’t know where to throw the ball when it is hit to them. This idea that the rules should change at every level just makes it too confusing for the kids and coaches.

No scores and everyone winning all the time just means that they never face failure or loss. The concept of winning teachings you what hard work results in. Risk and reward.

Final thoughts?

Let’s take a step back for a minute and think about this logically. If you were to go to work, and instead of doing your job, you sat and did nothing for 8 hours what would happen? Would your boss say good job see you tomorrow? More than likely you wouldn’t have a job anymore. So why do we as a generation think that we should be teaching our kids that they should be rewarded for nothing, and that everyone is a winner all the time? That you won’t strike out, or that that missed shot that lost the game didn’t happen? What was so wrong with our childhoods that we want to deprive our children of those lessons?

As an adult, I realize that the friends that I still have from high school are all from sports. They were the people I spent early Saturdays and late bus rides with. The ones that showed up for birthday parties at baseball fields after games and in locker rooms!

I have stepped up and coached, as well as sat on boards and committees, and I will continue to do these things for my children! I choose to be part of the solution by participating because most of these sports are volunteer run!

As an adult who understands why we are currently staying home, I’m struggling! Now put yourselves in the shoes of your kids who don’t really understand any of this. Life as they know it has completely changed!

Thru Their Eyes

It always amazes me to see things thru my children’s eyes…

A few weeks ago, we took the kids to walk on a local trail on our way to get dinner. They had been at each other’s throats for the better part of the day because, let’s face it, they are just as bored as us adults, so we thought we would have some fun family Pokemon time, and then pick up dinner and go back to staying at home. However, there is a playground there and when they were told they couldn’t play on it, my very stubborn know-it-all child proceeded to lose his mind. We then spent the remaining 15 mins of hiking trying to explain why they couldn’t. In his mind, Corona was a “myth”, and all these new rules are just to punish him.

Fast forward to last night. Myself and the kids haven’t left the house in a good two weeks and I am just done. Since we had called in a dinner order, I wanted nothing more than to ride 20 mins to and from the restaurant with my family. I asked the boys to get dressed, and the same child as above looks at me and says, “I don’t feel safe leaving the house. I’ll get sick and die if I do.” This breaks my heart!

Yes, I want my kids to understand the gravity of the situation and use caution, but I certainly don’t want them to feel unsafe outside of the home.

Be Thankful

There is so much about this time that is difficult and I hate….Who knew second grade math could make math-minor-me want to curl up in a ball and cry. But, is it really worth dwelling on the negatives when that gets crammed down our throats daily by the news and Facebook and even the commercials?

Instead, I do have to admit that I am sure that this will likely be some of my kids best memories. For the first time in their lives, both their parents are home. We eat meals as a family instead of in shifts. We do projects together that normally we would skip letting the kids help with to save time. (My kids actually helped paint their bedroom!) We go hiking several times a week, which happens to be one of their favorite activities .

Break Their Boredom

I gave in and did the two things I said I would never do…I let my kids have Kids Messenger (from Facebook), and Fortnite (they are supervised by their dad while playing).

Let me tell you, Kids Messenger may actually be the best and worst thing ever. We can control who they talk to, downside you have to be friends with the parents on Facebook and I still don’t know who some of my kids friends parents are, and they can play little games, video chat, and instant message. Pretty sure this what is keeping them going most days. All that being said, have you ever listened to 8 year olds on the phone? I have to walk away!

While I still don’t love the idea of Fortnite, they are loving the daddy time. We will see if this actually stays though after he has to go back to working normal hours in the office.

I can’t say enough awesome things about Kiwi Crates! While the kids will complain about having do school papers, theses kits teach them really cool stem concepts in a way that makes it feel less likely learning!

Every once in a while, the TV people come out with a truly awesome show and let me tell you, Fox nailed it this year with LEGO Masters! The whole first season is available to stream now that the finale has aired, and if you missed it, it’s worth watching. So much so, that my kids have been doing LEGO competitions with each other for weeks. And I’m taking it a step further….This weekend I will be hosting an online challenge for anyone who wants to join in. Click here for details.

We raise both meat and laying chickens here on the farm, and have for years. Unless something were to drastically change, that would cause this to no longer be affordable for us, I don’t see us giving up chickens anytime soon!

You would think chickens are chickens and should all be treated equally, but that’s totally false. I love my laying birds! They are pretty and provide me with eggs daily. I get attached to these birds because they are here usually about two years, sometimes longer. In contrast, the meat birds are here 8 weeks total and are pretty gross all around!

When we got ready to move home, I’m not gonna lie, one of the first things I did was buy chicks. By that point, I had nearly convinced the hubby to let me have them in Mercer anyway, and had been researching my butt off on different homesteading practices! As a result, I had a very firm plan in place of how I was going to manage my flock.

Much of my practices are based on info from Justin Rhodes Abundant Permaculture and his YouTube channel Justin Rhodes.

Choosing Breeds

Since I need the the flock to be self sustaining (meaning produce enough income to keep them feed and us in eggs at the same time), I carefully choose a mix of heritage breeds and high production birds for my layers.

I look for breeds that are gentle but still pretty friendly since the boys will be working with them. For heritage breeds, I have primarily stuck to the Australorps, Asians, Opringtons and Wyandottes. I think if I had to choose just one, I would say I like the Wyandottes the best, but they definitely like people the least, which makes them less fun for the kids. The Australorps seem to be more willing to be handled so the kids like them the best!

For my high production birds, I have stuck primarily to ISA Browns and Production Reds. Of the two, I would rather have the Production Reds though, as they are more of a dual purpose bird so I am still getting a decent amount of meat out of them when it’s time to cull them.

Flock Management

Feeding Rations

When I was a kid we had laying birds and I remember my dad constantly complain about how much they cost and how they weren’t worth having. As a matter of fact they did get rid of them for several years.

To combat this problem, I practice grain rationing and supplement with black oil sunflower seeds for added protein. So what does that mean exactly? It means that I carefully monitor how much grain I give my flock daily, rather than filling the feeder once a week and then just refilling it when it’s empty. Depending on how many kitchen scraps they get that day the grain also goes up or down.

I relied heavily on Justin Rhodes article How to Feed Your Chickens Without Grain – 20 Ways to Cut Your Costs 100% and modified it to what best fits our lifestyle. I have a huge spreadsheet that tracks basically everything and I have it figured out that each dozen eggs I get from my chickens is costing me about $.66 without factoring in stuff like straw and electric. So not really cheaper than the grocery store but they definitely taste better!

New Bird Rotation

I breed my heritage breeds and hatch them out and buy high production pullets to keep the flock going. I try to have at least 8 new hens added to the flock every fall and spring to keep the number of eggs I get pretty consistent year round.

I cull birds when they hit 2 years of age for hens, and roosters either get culled or sold at auction. Meaning I have to keep really good records and be consistent when marking birds so they can be easily identified. I use leg bands to identify each bird and track them in the same way that I track the feed rations.

Pen Rotations

I do have two stationary coops and runs that we flip flop the layers between. They spend the winter in the large coop normally from about September to April or May. And the summer in the large open run.

I also plant both runs with cover crops while they aren’t in use and add spent hay and bedding from our winter deep bedding pens in the barn. This keeps the birds busy and varies their diet some as well as attracts worms and bugs for the birds to eat. Long term, we will pull the resulting mulch out for our garden beds.